IoThings we like: how to use Philips Hue beyond the obvious
Philips, being an established enterprise, pulled of something that would normally be done by a startup. They successfully pioneered a new technology that most people actually want. And we should applaud Philips for making it happen, seriously, very few companies once they get large still have the agility and capacity to imagine an object this refreshing.
Why was it so successful? It unlocked previous unseen possibilities in an otherwise ordinary thing. And it unlocked for everyone. In designers’ hands Hue became a tool to create absurdly picturesque interiors, while parents could use it to enhance bedtime stories. Even it makes sense to an average Joe. Now he can painlessly wake up on Monday mornings.
Nonetheless, being a tech company which works on automation software, it’s our job to think beyond the obvious when it comes to a connected device. Here are a few automation stories we made combining Hue (and few other gadgets):
1. We use Hue to scare off intruders
Prota connects Hue and Suprema to intimidate any potential intruder.
Do you still use keys to enter your office? Not us! Instead we use Suprema’s fingerprint scanner and it talks to Hue. Using our Prota OS we programmed our Hue lights to flood the room with bloody red color at full brightness whenever a stranger tries to enter.
2. Knock knock, who’s there? Hue blinks when someone knocks on our office door and Slack channel is notified
He doesn’t have to wait at our doorstep.
It was sometimes difficult to hear when somebody knocked on our front door. Here’s what we did to solve it:
Hue + Slack + sound sensor = the new ‘knock knock’
Sound sensor digitize knocking.
Hue blinks and we are notified on Slack.
First, we mounted a sound detector onto our door. It wasn’t difficult, however it took a bit of time to find the sweet spot. If you’d like to recreate this, you might want to experiment here a little bit. Next, we wrote a rule for Prota which tells Hue to blink whenever knocking sound is detected and at the same time a message is sent to one of our Slack channels. And that’s it — no more waiting at our doorstep!
3. Hue also lets us know when a visitor leaves
Hue will change color randomly when you leave our office.
We set some of our Hue light bulbs to randomly change color whenever someone leaves through the door. How does it know that? On the floor level we mounted a laser sensor and connected it to Prota Pi (Prota version for Raspberry Pi). What’s more, we can count how many people passed through the door and this number is automatically posted on our Slack channel.
4. Hue is blue? Don’t forget your umbrella
Korean summer keeps Hue blue for many days.
Old yet handy trick. Once our entrance Hue turns blue — we don’t leave our office without borrowing an umbrella.. Prota OS links the weather app and Hue, so we always know what weather to expect.
Things used
- Sound sensor
- Laser sensor
- Raspberry pi b+
- Prota OS
- Philips Hue
- Suprema fingerprint scanner
